Eyeglasses



A. KAHN.

(No Model.)

EYEGLASSES.

No. 380,491. Patented Apr. 3, 1888-.

ma- 1764/ a'HOZ'HQlJ-C) UNITED STATES 'rrrcn.

AMELIA KAHN, OF ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI.

EYEGLASSES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 380,491, dated April 3, 1888.

Application filed March 21, 1887. Serial No. 231,713. (No model.)

To (1:55 whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, AMELIA KAHN, of St. Joseph, in the county of Buchanan and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Eyeglasses; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My present invention relates to further improvements on those protected to me by the Patent No. 165,589, granted to Israel Kuhn, and of which I am the present owner; and my improvements have relation more especially to the nose-pieces and to the parts adjacent thereto, and will be made clear in the following description and claims.

In the drawings, Figure lillustrates a rimmed eyeglass having my improvements embodied therein; Fig. 2, details; Fig. 3, details on larged; Fig. 1-, a rimless eyeglass having my improvements thereon. Fig. 5 shows a variation in the form of one end of the nose-piece spring, and Fig. 6 this nose-piece detached.

Referring, first, to Figs. 1 and 2, I make the box part a of the spring in which the pad is inserted substantially like that described in the above-named Patent No. 165,589; but instead of making the pad Z) from rubber I make it of leather, felt, or equivalent material, thus giving a better, softer, and more yielding surface, making the holding of the glasses more comfortable to the nose,and also giving a better fit upon the nose, inasmuch as this soft ma terial can conform itself to the contour of the nose.

Cork has been used for pads, but it grows too hard and compact, and in such small pieces as are required too easily breaks and disintegrates. Soft prepared rubber has been found desirable in many respects for pads, though they are not as cheap as might be desired by some and not readily procurable in open marhot, and generally require to be specially made of the predetermined shape in order to hold its place. Some persons also have aprejudice against the close contact with the nose of prepared rubber containing sulphur, fearing it may affect the nerves of the eye or otherwise injure that delicate organ. The materials I use for the pad ,are quite free from any such objectionable qualities. Another advantage is in the cheapness of the leather, felt,or similar fibrous material and the ease and simplicity with which it can be cut and inserted in its grooved box a, whereas the rubber to be in its best condition for use has to be specially prepared and shaped by molding or otherwise for this purpose alone, and hence is more costly and not easily accessible to any and every one using the glasses.

WVoody materialsuch as cork-has been used for eyeglasspads; but it lacks the soft yielding quality which is so requisite to the wearers comfort, and does not admit of that range of soltnesswhich the varying qualities of leather and felt and fibrous material allow, and whereby any degree of softness desired may be secured.

The box a may be made in its cross-section either as shown in the Patent No. 165,589, by having both its upper edges bent into about the same plane, or its sides may simply incline a little toward each other, asshown in the accompanying drawings in Figs. 2 and 8. In some cases, dependent on the material used for the pad, the sides may be parallel, the pad thus holding its place in the box by its own inherent resilience, because in such case it must be compressed or compacted closely at that part which is held within the box, the part projecting from the box still remaining soft and pleasant for the nose.

Another feature of my invention will be found in the structure of the spring of the nose-piece c, of which the box a preferably forms a component part, (though it is evident that it might be separately made and after ward attached to the spring.) I make the lower or free end of this spring 0 either as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, or, if preferred, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6; but in either case the spring is free to play at its lower end, its upper end only being firmly but adjustably secured to the glass or glass rim, as shown at c, by means of a set-screw and by a slot, a in the spring to permit of its adjustment.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4:, the lower end of the spring terminates in a narrowed part ICO , with any oblong slot in the lower end of this spring, (as shown in the Patent No. 165,589,) and thereby materially simplify the manufacture, while at the same time adding considerably to the strength and durability of the spring, and I also dispense with the small pin which was used to enter such slot and which was liable to be caught in the clothing or otherwise and broken off. The pocket e also houses and protects the terminus of pin d and positively precludes its catching in anything.

In short, this novel construction avoids any projection or obstruction on the eyeglass which .can catch and interfere with cleaning the glasses or which might scratch or hurt the skin when putting on the glasses.

In the before-mentioned Patent No. 165,589 the spring was in-the form of a mere are, and, although its upper end was slotted, yet it permitted an adjustment lengthwise only of the spring-that is, farther up and down, but not farther inward and outward--so as to lessen or increase at will the distance between the two similar springs to vary the pressure on the nose, as desired; but by giving the upper part of the nose-guard spring-namely, the part above the box and pad-an outward bend nearly at right angles to the box, as shown, the slot 0 comes to be nearly horizontal, and consequently an adjustment on the set-screws brings the upper ends of these springs nearer to or farther apart from each other to any extent equal to the added lengths of both slots, while at the same time not in the slightest interfering with the free play of the lower ends of the springs. By releasing the springs from these set-screws they may be removed entirely for any purpose.

In Figs. 5 and 6 the construction is the same as above described, except that the pocket for inclosing the end of the spring-is dispensed with, and instead of this the lower end of spring 0 is made with two prongs, f, which embrace the edge of the rimless glass like a fork. This still allows the free movement of the springs forward and backward at their lower ends, while at the same time holding them in proper position laterally. This arrangement thus performs the duty of the pin and pocket shown in the other figures.

The figures of the drawings are on a somewhat enlarged scale, the better to showthe improvements.

The form of the pad-box, it will'be seen, is such as not to require that the pads shall be grooved in order to insert and hold them to place, and the material I use for these pads is such that it not only can be inserted by mere compression and held to place by its native resilience, but it has no objectionable property and will not, like cork, grow too hard or disintegrate.

I do not herein claim a nose-guardhaving at its free lower end prongs or projections spanning the edge of the glass, as that forms the subjeet-matterof an independent application filed by me March 9, 1888.

I claim- 1. In an eyeglass, nose-guard springs each having thereon a pad-holding box, the springs being bent and applied at their upper ends, so as to permit a lateral adjustment of the pads to and from the-glasses, and at their lower ends hanging free within pockets respectively surrounding such ends at their sides.

2. In an eyeglass, the combination, with the glass or its frame, of an open-mouthed pocket secured thereto and adapted to receive and protect at all sides the lower free end of the noseguard spring and to permit its free movement, as set forth.

3. In combination with the nose-guard adjustably fixed at one end and free at its other end, a spacious pocket on the glass or frame inclosing or surrounding such free end,but permitting ample movement of the same, as set forth.

4. An eyeglass having nose-guards holding leather, felt, or similar fibrous pads and fixed' adj ustably at the top, but free or unattached and terminating in a reduced part or pin at the bottom, such pin being housed in a spacious protecting cup or pocket, as set forth.

5. The combination of nose-guard springs adjustable at their upper ends, pad-holding boxes containing fibrous material held therein by its own resilience, and open-mouthed pockets adapted to receive and protect at all sides the lower free ends of the springs,substantially as set forth.

AMELIA KAHN.

NVitnesses:

LEO HIRSCH, ABEK. PIoKLE.

ICO 

